RJWGMU

Well a couple of questions: 1) Who is planning it? 2) Where would it be? 3) How reliable is your friend? 4) How reliable is their source?

Haha, shows you how tired I was when I looked at it this morning! As for getting the Westin to the rendering, I wish they would have kept the corner windows of the building the way they are in the rendering, having them end at the start of the hotel on the way down. It gave an extra dimension to the building. And wow, 1.2 million SF? That is just under TWO of the Cosmopolitan blocks!

What is this concept?

You mean in the rendering of the Westin? It looks like there is something right next it it, but that is actually One Columbus Center... You can just see it because the Cosmo. Apts aren't in the image.

Where did you find it? I HATE that pedestrian bridge design. for one, it looks like a bridge for cars, secondly it is way too tall for what it is for, and thirdly, and probably most importantly, it does not look enclosed.

Good article on the need for a grocery store in Pembroke... Here is my question for all who wish to answer: I am a business student at GMU and have for YEARS wanted to open an Italian Specialty Store and figured Pembroke was my best bet. Now I am in a new venture class where my team is developing MY business idea into an "experience of Italy." I want to know what you think of the following idea, and I apologize if this is the wrong place for this discussion. I am excited to hear of "The Market" which Farm Fresh just launched in Norfolk and if they did something similar at Pembroke I must say I would probably welcome it and have to revise my own plans! Anyway, here we go: Our vision for this store is to be an Italian market which has all of the features of a grocery store but with an Italian flare. The whole store would celebrate the culture and diversity of Italy and would feature gourmet meats and cheeses, imported specialties, a selection of groceries, and fine Italian wines from the different wine growing regions of Italy. It would also serve fresh deli sandwiches made to order from the deli, have a bakery specializing in Italian cakes, cookies, and pastries, would possibly include a full service butcher and seafood area, and have a coffee and gelato shop. The goal is to make this store an all day destination for residents of the area, commuters, and office workers alike. In addition to the features mentioned above, outside patio seating would be available for patrons to sit outside as they drink their coffee, eat their sandwiches, or enjoy their fresh gelato. There may also possibly be some room in the store which would be used as indoor seating. The room would have either large windows or a large series of doors which could allow for it to be almost fully opened to the outside air for enjoying the weather from inside. The entire store would be designed to make the patrons feel that they are in an Italian street market. There would be wooden columns which go up at different angles to hold up an old looking canvas which would seem like the only roof the market has. It would also have a stamped concrete floor made to look clean and classy but also somewhat aged and dirty, as if it were an outside paved walkway. The individual sections/departments would have their own look, but all would appear to be separate entities which happen to be all in the same market area. Questions (if you want you can just message me with the responses): 1) Would you go there, and for what reasons (or not)? 2) Do the sandwich and pastry parts seem like a good idea? 3) Should we drop the groceries portion and stick to prepared foods and wines/cheeses?

Wow, that is extremely exciting! I still wonder how much these units will cost... Does anyone know? I like the mixed units though; some condos, some apartments, some studios... I am also a fan of the rooftop plans they all seem to have!

Well if you look at the rendering above where it shows the phase 2 building with a larger one in the background, count the front building's floors and then add what you can see of the other building...

The building in the foreground is 7 stories... I am guessing the one in the background is roughly twice as high! Also does anyone know what the website is for this development and is it like the Westin one where you can see the floor plan and the price?

It will remain just a Target, but bigger and more modern, offering a wider selection of items, etc... If you go inside of the store there is a rendering of it...

It is a two story building and, if they keep the original building attached when it is done, will be quite large.

What plans are there to get rid of Pembroke Mall? I haven't heard such a thing... Is this just rumored, or for real?

That is exactly what I was thinking... Something doesn't sound right about the situation. Maybe while being explained the policy they couldn't hear correctly because it's so loud in there.

Where did you hear this?

In response to the idea that military people will not ride LR because they don't ride the bus already, I have two points to make: 1) While the bus is express, it still takes forever. LR would be much quicker and more direct. Because of this, people would be more likely to ride it. 2) People would rather be seen stuck in traffic than riding a bus. I am in Fairfax for most of the year and I can either drive to the metro and pay to park to go into DC, or ride a bus for free with my ID. What do I do? Drive... Partly because of my first reason, but mostly because I don't want to be seen on a bus. I believe that is the mentality of most people except for the huge cities like New York and Chicago. So yes, while current ridership is a problem, riding a train versus a bus will bring in more people.

I ate at Guadalajara yesterday for lunch. Pretty good, not too pricy, but it was loud. And we were right before about the pilings being for the elevated walkway. They were pouring concrete into vertical columns on either side of the street when I was there.

I don't know if the city has expressed any ideas for stops, but It would probably stop at Witchduck (I think there should be a parking deck there) and then proceed to TC. Without a parking deck at Witchduck, the traffic on that road will remain horrible. Then I am sure after Pembroke, the next stop would be Rosemont and/or Lynnhaven, then Hilltop, then Convention Center, then Ocean Front. That's how I would do it anyway I still say they forget the NS Tracks and build an entirely elevated system down the middle of VB Blvd for most of the way, with pull offs for local stops. Then they could have express trains that stop at the Oceanfront, Pembroke, DT Norfolk, and Naval Station Norfolk, as well as other trains that stop at every stop. The express trains would be more likely to persuade the "is it quicker to drive or ride" commuters, making them more willing to give up their car for a straight shot.The money has to come from somewhere though and I don't know where!

Yes and no. In theory one way traffic is fine. However, take a trip to Old Town Fairfax. They recently converted BACK from one way traffic to two way traffic in their "DT" district. Why? It caused more problems than it resolved. It was confusing an had too many lights. So if executed properly, one way traffic would be good. Also keep in mind that routing cars around some building or piece of land is also normal. It is when you make them go two blocks out of their way that it becomes a problem, which is what you reccomend.

I agree with the voting for her because of LR. Most people I talk to hate her and I don't understand why. Frequently I hear "Meyra Obern-dork" lol. I do not agree! I think she has played a crucial part in TC and is doing just fine! Hopefully she will be re-elected at least one more time and make this happen, though I doubt it can be done during one term. Oh, and it better not be street level! I would rather the city pay more and build it elevated over the tracks, though my dream would be to have it going down the median of VB Blvd then pull off to one side for the stations.

Yeah, it's nice I guess... Though it seems out of place. I think if they wanted a clock it should have been more central, like in front of the fountain in the center block, or in front of an entrance to one of the buildings. What would have been cool was a giant clock on the front of one of the buildings!

Must be private because I emailed them a week or so ago and they said that it was opening on July 18th.

Well their stubborn attitude could be a good thing. If someone (AH) wants to build another tower they will have to jump VB Blvd to Pembroke or move further south on Independence, etc.

The things I notice on my way to and from work... This morning around 8:30 I was going down VB Blvd and noticed a helicopter approaching Pembroke. Sure enough, it was circling the development and was at some times very high and other VERY low! It was pretty cool to see, I wished I had my camera to take some pictures of it! Anyway, hopefully the TC website will be updated soon.

I know, I REALLY wanted to go too, but I won't be returning from my Canada vacation until tomorrow...

Some views of the bank construction... These were actually harder to get than I thought they would be! And for the rest of the TC project... (*Note: I took plenty of other pictures which can be seen in the Westin, Sandler Center, and City Walk Threads) The glass looks cool in this shot...